


Bright After Rain

by whiteshores



Series: Precious Moments [4]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Domestic, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, kid!chan, parent!jeongcheol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22618648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteshores/pseuds/whiteshores
Summary: Chan has a tantrum. Unfortunately, Seungcheol isn’t his favorite parent at the moment.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Series: Precious Moments [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1506068
Comments: 11
Kudos: 159





	Bright After Rain

Chan doesn’t have a favorite parent. Seungcheol and Jeonghan like to joke that their son  _ does _ prefer one over the other, leading to petty arguments and unnecessary competitions to determine who is the best dad. But at the end of the day, Chan loves both of them very much, both of his fathers love him, and that’s all that matters. 

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t days where Chan does prefer one over the other. Seungcheol gets it. Sometimes, he wants takeout of some kind of artery stopping goodness that he will feel terrible about later, but will enjoy in the moment. Other days, he wants a hearty home cooked meal. Some days, Chan is overly attached to Seungcheol. Today, however, is not one of those days. 

Their little four year old is throwing the biggest fit, rolling over on the couch, crying his poor little heart out with copious tears and lots of boogers. Chan isn’t perfect, no child is (although Seungcheol and Jeonghan not so secretly believe their son is the  _ best _ child to exist), and he has his moments. He’s normally not one to have tantrums, and Seungcheol doesn’t think he’s ever seen one this bad. 

“Channie, I know you’re upset,” he says gently. “Papa said he’s sorry, but he promises he’ll watch the movie with you next weekend.”

“No!” Chan wails, all four limbs flailing once more. He drags out his cries for a bit longer, little fists and little feet pounding against the sofa cushion. “Papa promised we would watch it today! Channie was a good boy. He waited patiently all week just like he promised. Papa said that if Channie was good, we could watch it tonight.”

“You can watch it with Daddy,” Seungcheol tries again.

“Me, Daddy,  _ and _ Papa,” Chan humphs, squeezing his dinosaur plushie closer to his chest. It’s damp with tears and snot. Seungcheol makes a mental note to wash Dino soon. The well-loved dinosaur will get a bath when his son doesn’t require his safety plushie within arm’s reach. “Papa  _ promised _ .” 

He’s looking at his father with a fierce stubbornness that reminds Seungcheol greatly of Jeonghan. Despite his watery eyes, tear stained cheeks, and snot dripping down his nose, he looks incredibly determined. Somehow, he looks simultaneously big and small, sitting on their plush sofa, clutching his worn out dinosaur plushie. Seungcheol is struck with how quickly his son is growing, yet endeared at how adorable he looks. Boogers and all. 

Jeonghan had recently bought a new dinosaur movie for Chan, one that the toddler had been eyeing every time they went to the store.

_ “Papa! Papa! Can we get that one?  _ Please _ ,” Chan asks as they pass by. He’s sitting in the seat of the shopping cart, swinging his little legs and pointing eagerly at the brightly colored DVD case.  _

_ “Hmm maybe next time Channie,” Jeonghan says, pushing the cart past the DVD section to the aisle with bathroom supplies. They’re running out of facial tissue and that certainly would not be good in the middle of cold season. It’s prime time for Chan to get sick with the chilly weather and all the germs going around.  _

_ “But Papa. I really want it.” Chan does the thing where he makes the most adorable pouty expression that he knows neither of his fathers can resist. Jeonghan tries to ignore it. He picks up a box of tissues and examines it, comparing the prices of two different brands.  _

_ “Papa,” Chan whines quietly. _

_ Jeonghan makes the fatal mistake of making eye contact with his son. He sees those watery eyes, trembling lips, and slumped shoulders and he knows there’s no denying Chan’s request. _

_ “Tell you what,” Jeonghan says, leaning down a bit to be at eye level with the boy. “If you’re good all week; if you listen to Daddy and Papa and make good choices, then we can all watch the dinosaurs together after I get off work on Friday.” _

_ “Really? Daddy, you, and me?” Chan asks hopefully, excitement in his eyes.  _

_ “Yes. Daddy, Papa, and Channie,” Jeonghan says with a smile. _

_ “Promise?” _

_ “Promise.” _

Unfortunately, Jeonghan’s photoshoot went longer than anticipated. Everything was going wrong and they ended up being behind schedule. Jeonghan texted Seungcheol updates throughout the day, trying to stay positive and hope he could get home at a decent time. However, it’s now way past Chan’s bedtime and Jeonghan still isn’t finished with work.

That led to their current situation, with a cranky, tired toddler and an equally tired grown man with no idea how to console him, sitting on the couch. 

“I know,” Seungcheol sighs. “I know.” He holds his arms out in invitation and smiles softly.

Chan stares at his father for a moment, contemplating. Seungcheol waits patiently, watching as the furrow between his brows slowly smooths out and his bottom lip juts out in that telltale pout. Seungcheol’s smile widens slightly when his son drops Dino and comes crawling into his lap. He cradles Chan close to him, resting his little head on his shoulder and wrapping comforting arms around him. 

“I’m sorry Channie,” Seungcheol murmurs, rocking Chan gently. “Papa is sorry too. He tried his best to come home but work didn’t let him.” 

“But Papa  _ promised _ ,” Channie whimpers. “Papa said breaking promises is bad. You’re not supposed to break promises.” 

“I know Channie.” 

“So Papa lied? But Papa said it’s bad to lie.” 

“Papa didn’t lie.”

“But he did. He promised we would watch the movie together but he didn’t come home.” 

Seungcheol knows Chan is smart. He and Jeonghan both brag about how bright their toddler is, but now he’s starting to think he’s too smart for his own good.

“I know Channie, but Papa meant what he said. He really, really,  _ really _ wanted to come home to watch the dinosaurs with you, but some stuff happened at work. Papa tried to make stuff go faster, but it didn’t work. Do you remember Papa’s boss?”

“The tall mister with the weird suits?” 

Seungcheol can’t help but chuckle quietly. 

“Yes, that guy. Well, Papa has to listen to what he says. And if he says Papa can’t come home, then Papa can’t come home.”

“Why not?” Chan pulls back to look Seungcheol in the eye, still sniffling, with a serious expression on his face.

“Because he’s Papa’s boss. When you get older and have a job, the person in charge of you is your boss. You need to listen to them.”

“Why?”

“Because if you don’t, then you’ll get in trouble.”

“Like how when I don’t listen to Daddy and Papa, I get in trouble?”

“Yes, but Channie is a good boy, right? You listen to Papa and I, so you don’t get in trouble that often.”

Chan smiles a little at that.

“So Papa wanted to come home, but he had to listen to his boss,” Seungcheol continues gently, patting Chan’s head and smoothing out all the places where his hair started to stick out at awkward angles.

He lets Chan think about it, waiting patiently while continuing to gently rock the toddler in his arms. 

“So… Papa didn’t want to break his promise?”

“That’s right Channie. Papa didn’t want to break his promise, but he had to for work. He didn’t want to hurt your feelings and he’s  _ really _ sorry he couldn’t watch the movie with you. Do you think you can forgive him?”

Chan nods once and Seungcheol ruffles his hair once before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, Channie. You’re such a good boy, I’m so proud of you. Since you’re so good, do you want to sleep with Daddy tonight?”

Chan nods again and places his head back on Seungcheol’s shoulder. Little arms wrap tightly around Seungcheol’s neck as he clings tightly to his dad. 

Seungcheol smiles as he picks him up and carries his son to his room, making sure to take Dino as well. By the time he has Chan changed into his T-rex pajamas, the boy is already fast asleep, exhausted from all the crying. Seungcheol turns off the lights, climbs into bed, and pulls the covers securely over the both of them. 

“Goodnight Channie,” he whispers, kissing the top of Chan’s head before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Seungcheol wakes up to the sound of the door to the bedroom creaking open. He listens to quiet rustling and feels the other side of the bed dip as someone else joins them. 

“I’m so sorry Channie,” a soft voice whispers. 

Seungcheol lifts his hand and blindly searches for Jeonghan’s own. It doesn’t take long; both of them have an arm protectively slung over their son. When he finds Jeonghan’s hand, he laces their fingers together and gives his hand a small squeeze. Jeonghan squeezes his hand in return.

* * *

“Papa…?” Chan mumbles, eyes slowly opening. He blinks the sleep away and his eyes widen when he sees Jeonghan. “Papa!” 

Jeonghan feels his heart warm, seeing his son’s excitement despite letting him down last night. Before he can say anything, Chan is plastered against him. 

The toddler clings to him and hugs him with all his might. 

“Papa!” Chan chirps happily. 

There’s a weird feeling in Jeonghan’s chest. His heart is both clenching with guilt and soaring with joy. He doesn’t know what to make of it.

“Hi Channie,” Jeonghan says softly, holding his son close to him.

“I missed you,” Chan says quietly, tiny fingers curling a bit as they grip his father’s shirt. Guilt weighs heavier in Jeonghan’s chest. “But it’s okay; I forgive you. Daddy said it’s not your fault.”

Hot tears well up in Jeonghan’s eyes. He doesn’t deserve this. Despite his best efforts, he broke his promise. Granted, it wasn’t his fault, but he’s still trying to teach Chan things like the importance of promises and how you should keep them. He set a bad example for his son, and based on the vague update from Seungcheol, Chan didn’t take it so well. Knowing his husband, Seungcheol probably downplayed it so he wouldn’t feel as bad. 

“I love you, Papa,” Chan says, snuggling into his father’s chest. 

The dam breaks. Tears flow freely and Jeonghan can’t stop them. 

“Papa?” Chan asks worriedly. He reaches up and pats Jeonghan’s cheeks. “Why are you crying? Don’t cry. It makes Daddy and Channie sad. Are you mad? I’m sorry. Channie was bad last night. I’m sorry Papa I—“

Jeonghan holds Chan close to him and gives him dozens of kisses all over the top of his head. 

“No, no, no, Channie,” Jeonghan murmurs through his tears. “Papa isn’t mad. Papa is… happy.”

“Happy?” Chan asks, confusion apparent in his voice. “If you’re happy then why are you crying?”

“They’re happy tears, Channie.” He smiles into the crown of his son’s head and plants another kiss there. “Sometimes when you’re really happy, you start crying because you don’t know what else to do. Papa is really happy because you said you love Papa, even though Papa broke his promise.” 

“But it wasn’t your fault! Daddy said you had to listen to the tall mister with the weird suits.”

Jeonghan blinks, processing that statement. When it finally clicks, he laughs and presses a few more kisses over Chan’s head and cheeks. 

“Yes, Papa had to listen to him, but I made you feel sad right? That isn’t good. I broke my promise and hurt your feelings. I’m really sorry about that, Channie.”

“It’s okay. I forgive you,” Chan says easily. As if he didn’t spend all of last night crying his little heart out. But he means it, Jeonghan knows. 

Jeonghan feels like he might start crying again. His son is the sweetest angel and he doesn’t know what he did to deserve him. 

Then, he looks over the top of Chan’s head and sees Seungcheol watching them with a fond expression. He looks exhausted, eye bags worse than he remembers, but he looks happy. It’s as if seeing his husband and son took all his worries away. Jeonghan knows that feeling. He’s been fortunate to experience it quite often in their time together as a family. 

“Thank you, Channie,” Jeonghan says, turning his attention back to his son. “Papa loves you very much. You know that right?”

“Mhmm.” The toddler nods. “Daddy and Papa love Channie and Channie loves Daddy and Papa!”

“That’s right. Daddy and Papa love you very much. So, so, so much. And Channie loves us.”

“Thi—s much,” Chan says, stretching his arms as wide as he can. Jeonghan chuckles.

“And Daddy and Papa love Channie thi—s much,” Seungcheol says, wrapping his arms around the two of them. Chan erupts into a fit of giggles and he squirms, trying to look up at Seungcheol. 

“Daddy!” Chan squeals. 

“Good morning, Channie,” Seungcheol says. 

“Papa’s here!” 

“Yes,” Seungcheol laughs and looks into his husband’s eyes. 

“Daddy loves Channie and Daddy loves Papa!”

“Yes,” he agrees once more. Jeonghan feels his heart flutter inside his chest. No matter how many times he hears it, it still makes his heart skip a beat. He doesn’t know what he did to gain the affection of an incredible man who loves him unconditionally. 

“Daddy loves Papa,” Seungcheol echoes, leaning forward to press a loving kiss against his husband’s lips. Jeonghan closes his eyes and finds himself chasing after those plush lips when they pull away from him. He can feel Seungcheol smile into their kiss and Jeonghan can’t help but smile as well. 

“And Daddy loves Channie,” Seungcheol says once he pulls away from Jeonghan’s sweet lips. Both of them press a kiss to the top of Chan’s head, making their son squeal.

They spend a few more minutes in bed, cuddling together and reassuring each other of their love for one another. There’s a lot of kisses and the twinkling sound of laughter. It’s a happy morning in the Choi household, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you to [bonnieanonnie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonnieanonnie/pseuds/bonnieanonnie) for beta reading !


End file.
